Aberdeen newspaper boots production staff on the path to end

The Aberdeen newspaper is on  a track that presages its closure.  It announced that it will no longer print the paper at its Aberdeen plant and it will now be printed in Sioux Falls on the Argus Leader press.  The second graph of the story states how many employees are getting the boot.

Twenty-one positions will be eliminated at the American News. As a result of this transition, Sioux Falls will be adding production staff in the pressroom and in packaging, including press operators and packaging staff. Affected employees will be invited to apply.

What the story does not cover is the context of this move, which is the closure of major retailers in Aberdeen:  Sears, Kmart, Herberger's, Conlin's, Shopko.  One may assume that the termination of advertising revenues from those retailers plays a significant role in the decision to close down the local production operation of the newspaper.  Of course, the impact of the internet is also a factor.

The publisher gives the usual folderol about the newspaper maintaining its place in the community, and inviting the booted employees to apply for jobs in Sioux Falls, but says nothing about who is actually making the decisions.  In January 2019, the then-owner of the American News, Schurz  Communications, was purchased by Gatehouse Media, which is owned by the New Media Investment Group.  In November 2019, Gatehouse completed an acquisition and merger with the Gannett Company, which owns the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.  The new company chose to operate under the Gannett name.  

The firing of 21 production employees and shutting down its press is the elimination of an essential aspect of the newspaper business.  It leaves the editorial and advertising staffs, and with the recent elimination of so many retailers, there aren't many places left to sell advertising to.  The story of its down-sizing  did not indicate if the design and layout of the paper would be done by local staff.  With computers and the internet, those tasks could also be done in Sioux Falls.  But the down-sizing also has implications for the editorial staff.  It could be reduced to a news bureau, a few reporters covering county and city government and any breaking events, and a few more on school sports.  One managing editor, who does not have to deal with production matters, could coordinate those activities.  And the market area around Aberdeen shows no evidence of growth.  Since 1970, the population of Brown County decreased by one percent.


The publisher states:

We will do all we can to ensure a strong community, by telling your stories, giving voice and holding the powerful accountable. And we will continue to deliver the news and advertising solutions this region so deserves.

News business in Aberdeen has diminished over recent years.  The local press once consisted of news departments from a local television station, three radio stations, and the American News.  Other media have given Aberdeen the kind of attention they thought Aberdeen deserved:  nothing. The electronic media have eliminated their news departments.  The trend is clear.  If the newspaper is to be printed in Sioux Falls, why can't the editorial and advertising management be centered there?  

You  can be sure the bottom-line managers have thought of that.  And who but the newspaper they own is left to call them into account?